Why Women Cheat

I’ve cheated. 75% of my girlfriends have cheated. For us, cheating functioned as a rite-of-passage between girlhood and womanhood. These situations usually occurred when we were unhappy or unfulfilled, and as we became older and college-independent, we began to realize that we could seek what we were missing elsewhere – we didn’t have to accept relationship mediocrity.

Now, I’m not condoning cheating, nor will I ever again commit the act. In my wiser years I’ve realized that when I am unsatisfied, I need to get out of a relationship. But, at the time, cheating made sense – it allowed me to reevaluate what I wanted and recognize the signs that a relationship was doomed. And the relationship always ended…just in reverse order.

Women cheat for many reasons. Lack of intimacy, lack of sex, boredom, revenge, thrill, and the clincher: ovulation. According to a 2006 study conducted by the UCLA Center of Behavior, Culture, and Evolution and the University of New Mexico, women have evolved to be more inclined to cheat during the most fertile time of their cycle, during ovulation and the days leading up to it. This is when women feel the sexiest, when they are unconsciously seeking out suitable mates for fathering their children, and when they are more likely to find other men (besides their significant other) attractive.

During ovulation, women are more aroused than usual. Therefore, if a woman’s mate is not sexually reciprocating, has abandoned her emotional needs, or if the passion has fizzled out during this time: there is a greater risk of infidelity. Men: chart your women’s cycles. Pay special attention to your lady’s fertile time. Give her extra-special attention, and she’s less likely to stray. You are not the only ones with the biological potential for a wandering eye!

Of course, this is not the only explanation for why women cheat. I’ve cheated for these reasons: boredom, transitioning from one relationship to another, and out of spite. Yes, spite. If you do not treat a woman right, she’s more likely to cheat. If you cheat on a woman and she stays with you, she’s more likely to cheat. If you are sexually selfish (see: What Women Really Want), she’s more likely to cheat. If you do not make time for your relationship, she’s more likely to cheat.

After all, it is true what they say: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.